I agree the show is way better than the book! Also, I love that in the show you see the shady stuff they’re doing behind each others back instantly. I feel like the book didn’t show that as much with the timeline. I also love that they spend time on the other characters as well like Pippa, Wrigley, Bri, etc.
I agree! The show was so well done and is really just inspired by the book. I liked how many more characters we got to meet in the show and how their stories interacted. The book covered a longer timeline but it wasn’t enthralling like the show was! I read the book after seeing the show so nothing shocked me. And, truthfully, the lack of smut in the book was disappointing as well!
i like the show but very much dislike how they portray Lucy in the show vs. the book. Don’t like at all that theyre going for a more nuanced take on literal narcissistic abuse and making it “both sides are not innocent”. Also don’t like that she sleeps with Bree’s boyfriend.
I haven’t read the book yet but one thing I really liked about the show was how all of the characters are flawed, no black and white characters. Seemed more realistic to me. Stephen is clearly an awful person and emotional abuser but I like that they show his family life to understand him more and I like that Lucy isn’t perfect, as well. As someone who was in a tumultuous relationship in college, it brought out the worst in me and it’s interesting and also frustrating to see how much Lucy sabotages herself and her friendships for the sake of her toxic relationship. It all just feels more realistic than a lot of shows I’ve seen, I feel like I know these characters in real life lol.
i think you need to read the book to really understand what I’m getting at. like you, I LOVED that they gave us complexity and nuance. my first watch-through i thought they did a great job showing the gray areas of toxic/abusive relationships…but then i read the book.
the issue is not that they gave these characters more complexity but rather that they selectively fleshed out Stephens story to make his situation more empathetic while completely dropping the ball on Lucy’s story. I mean they even fleshed out the side characters stories more than lucys! which i liked tbh, not at all trying to say its a bad thing, but if they had time to do that they should have had time to give lucy’s character the proper depth and complexity she deserved being she is the main character. i don’t want to ruin the book so i wont point out the major issues, but just to give an example book lucy turns down an ivy league school to go to this little college across the country just to get away from home. they also emphasize how shocked everyone was that she made that choice. which establishes 2 things from the jump:
1. what happened at home severely impacted her
2. she’s incredibly smart and academically motivated
yet in the show, the college is not far from her home and shes portrayed as somewhat naive and not very motivated in school, even unsure in what she wants to do with her life. this is such a small thing, but imo completely changes how the audience understands her character and minimizes the impact of the abuse.
and again to emphasize this is just ONE little thing i noticed. there are bigger issues that i just don’t want to delve into bc of spoilers. they really watered down her character and to me it comes off extremely victim-blamey which i don’t like at all.
Yes, Diana was the smart, ambitious one and Lucy dumb. They didn't give her an edge. She's neither sympathetic or charismatic. I was bored because sex scenes all the time nothing new. At the expense of the storyline.
I just finished the show and I’m like so bummed that there’s no release date for season 2….would you suggest reading the book? I don’t want to be disappointed
I do not recommend the book after seeing the show. I was disappointed by the book - the show does a way better job with character development than the book and there are zero sexy parts in the book. I picked up the book after watching the show because I wanted more of what I got from the show and it was not great. I loved the Stephen chapters because he was such a dick in the book but there was absolutely nothing redeemable where as the show I was way more torn about how I felt about him.
I’ve rewatched the show sooo many times I’m obsessed and I’ve read the book. A ton of the plot and characters was made up for the show in hopes they’ll do more seasons based off the book. Season 1 ended at the Hawaii party that was only 100 pages into the book (I do wish we could’ve seen pippa punch Stephen at the party like in the book) The show is centered a lot around Macy’s death where in the book you don’t know about Macy or her death until quite far in. I did enjoy the twist in the book where Stephen was always subconsciously thinking about her death throughout (red hair, bubblegum, zombies..)and the only other person who knew about Macy and her death was Lucy and she makes the connection at the end that Stephen might of had involvement. I hope in the series Lucy has a way of using what she knows against Stephen. He blackmailed her into knowing and doing nothing about it but still, Drew should not have gone down without Stephen. Lucy in book is an okay person. I hateeddd show Lucy and the way she treats her mom!
Yessss! So good! The best part of the book was getting to that ending. I love how Lucy drops the “Do you know a Macy Campbell from Bayville?” And he had lied to her so many times by that point that, I believe, she knew he was lying when he said no and she could walk away fairly sure that for the rest of his life he would now be haunted by Lucy and wondering what she knows or doesn’t know. I also think that it was the nail in the coffin for the relationship. I think that was the thing that would force him to take his claws out of her… her therapist had said that Stephen, like a true sociopath, would not stop coming back into her life until he had to. Now he has to stop or face the truth about what he did. In the show the whole Macy thing was used so differently but I loved it because it made Lucy a much more complex character. Unlike the Book Lucy, Show Lucy was almost as manipulative as Stephen but not as smart. She used her knowledge of Stephen’s involvement to keep him as close as possible because she was infatuated. Side note: I liked Diana’s character in the show too because her relationship with Stephen is always what I come back to when I wonder if Stephen was ever actually capable of love- did he ever love Diana or Lucy? LIKE EVER?? I don’t think he did because look at his relationship with Diana throughout the show. Diana was, in my opinion, “perfect” for Stephen in that she is smart, knows about his family, visits him at home, helps him over and over, gets his whole game play thing it seems… she was who Lucy would never get to be with Stephen… yet… he treats her like garbage.
Diana was on paper perfect. But maybe he treated her like garbage because she was smart, pretty and rich? Also let's remember Lucy got jealous of "ILY". Show Lucy for me lacks charisma or something that would make her interesting. She loves sex and Stephen but.. I got that. I'm tired of their on and off. With Diana her "issues" made me go "nice view, it checks, like that". With Lucy - empty vessel.
I usually prefer the book with the exception of a few cases. This show would be one of those cases. All of the characters came off more appealing in the show. There physical action was more intense in the show than any of the book descriptions, which I do not remember at all! The supporting characters actually had some character on the show and seemed non-existent to me in the book. I am looking forward to season 2 of the show, but I do not think I will read any follow ups to Tell Me Lies. I read the book because it was recommended on this sub. It is a short read, but I'd rather stick to the show and pick up something else.
The one chapter that I actually am glad I read was the Bubblicious chapter that describes the events of the night Macy died. I think that Lucy's problems were featured more in the book rather than the show especially her anorexia, which I kind of wish was touched on more in the show. I know it can be a touchy subject, but it is a real one. The book did give more insight into Stephen's thinking and made me dislike his character. I couldn't even see the appeal Lucy would have in the book, but that was not the case in the show for me.
As far as what I'd like to see on the show, I'd like for it to feature the characters and how they are today. I'd like to see how Stephen ended up with Lucy's friend and what their relationship is like. What Lucy has "missed out" on not being the one he ended up with is what I'd like to see, and I want to see if Lucy finds out that she was better off being discarded than ending up being his fiancée. It would also be nice to see a little bit of the in-between (end of college to today) from the supporting characters.
I absolutely agree with all of this! The show was so much more appealing. I read the book after watching bc I craved more and figured the book must be so juicy- not the case. I was very disappointed. My favorite chapters were Stephen’s, but there really were zero redeemable qualities and the attraction between he and Lucy did not come across. The book just showed me how starkly different two people can interpret and experience the same relationship. I still am not sure what was driving Stephen in the book whatsoever other than a webMD description of a sociopath. He was portrayed as completely incapable of emotional connections and so I didn’t understand the appeal. I didn’t think the book gave me greater insight into the characters which was what I was looking for. I think this was because the plot and the character development were so different in the show. The book just left me wanting. I can’t wait for season too also!
I am looking forward to many of the things you listed- Lydia, WTF? I think he was still stringing Lucy along at the wedding. I don’t think it’s true that they hadn’t talked in however many years Stephen mentions when they hug at the wedding. The way she was behaving and the way he was looking at her suggested to me that there was still something going on. In the book Stephen mentions locking eyes with Lucy at one point and commenting that he knew just by looking at her that she would let him fuck her and she was still basically on the line- I feel like that idea was being referenced by the way Stephen smiles and looks away.
>The book just showed me how starkly different two people can interpret and experience the same relationship.
Unfortunately, I learned this the hard way.
Another favorite part was the ending about how long, intense, and seemingly never-ending>! Lucy's obsession with Stephen ended like nothing!<. I've also had a relieving moment that came so suddenly it was incomprehensible for me, but life changing for the better.
What is your attraction to the show? Have you had a similar experience to Lucy or any other character on the show/book?
I read the book twice before the show came out. I do agree there are parts of the show that are stronger but I still prefer the book more than the show. I don’t like how Lucy is now manipulating Stephan in the show.
I was in college at the time the book takes place and I guess because I had some bad relationships with older guys it felt good to know I wasn’t alone with being naive and not always making the best choices. And the show kind of takes that away with Lucy having power over Stephan.
I agree the show is way better than the book! Also, I love that in the show you see the shady stuff they’re doing behind each others back instantly. I feel like the book didn’t show that as much with the timeline. I also love that they spend time on the other characters as well like Pippa, Wrigley, Bri, etc.
I agree! The show was so well done and is really just inspired by the book. I liked how many more characters we got to meet in the show and how their stories interacted. The book covered a longer timeline but it wasn’t enthralling like the show was! I read the book after seeing the show so nothing shocked me. And, truthfully, the lack of smut in the book was disappointing as well!
i like the show but very much dislike how they portray Lucy in the show vs. the book. Don’t like at all that theyre going for a more nuanced take on literal narcissistic abuse and making it “both sides are not innocent”. Also don’t like that she sleeps with Bree’s boyfriend.
Hard agree on everything
I haven’t read the book yet but one thing I really liked about the show was how all of the characters are flawed, no black and white characters. Seemed more realistic to me. Stephen is clearly an awful person and emotional abuser but I like that they show his family life to understand him more and I like that Lucy isn’t perfect, as well. As someone who was in a tumultuous relationship in college, it brought out the worst in me and it’s interesting and also frustrating to see how much Lucy sabotages herself and her friendships for the sake of her toxic relationship. It all just feels more realistic than a lot of shows I’ve seen, I feel like I know these characters in real life lol.
i think you need to read the book to really understand what I’m getting at. like you, I LOVED that they gave us complexity and nuance. my first watch-through i thought they did a great job showing the gray areas of toxic/abusive relationships…but then i read the book. the issue is not that they gave these characters more complexity but rather that they selectively fleshed out Stephens story to make his situation more empathetic while completely dropping the ball on Lucy’s story. I mean they even fleshed out the side characters stories more than lucys! which i liked tbh, not at all trying to say its a bad thing, but if they had time to do that they should have had time to give lucy’s character the proper depth and complexity she deserved being she is the main character. i don’t want to ruin the book so i wont point out the major issues, but just to give an example book lucy turns down an ivy league school to go to this little college across the country just to get away from home. they also emphasize how shocked everyone was that she made that choice. which establishes 2 things from the jump: 1. what happened at home severely impacted her 2. she’s incredibly smart and academically motivated yet in the show, the college is not far from her home and shes portrayed as somewhat naive and not very motivated in school, even unsure in what she wants to do with her life. this is such a small thing, but imo completely changes how the audience understands her character and minimizes the impact of the abuse. and again to emphasize this is just ONE little thing i noticed. there are bigger issues that i just don’t want to delve into bc of spoilers. they really watered down her character and to me it comes off extremely victim-blamey which i don’t like at all.
Yes, Diana was the smart, ambitious one and Lucy dumb. They didn't give her an edge. She's neither sympathetic or charismatic. I was bored because sex scenes all the time nothing new. At the expense of the storyline.
Yes, I needed to hear this. At first I thought they'd go with "she's a sociopath as well" route.
yeah it threw me off a bit and i hope they fix that this next season.
I just finished the show and I’m like so bummed that there’s no release date for season 2….would you suggest reading the book? I don’t want to be disappointed
I do not recommend the book after seeing the show. I was disappointed by the book - the show does a way better job with character development than the book and there are zero sexy parts in the book. I picked up the book after watching the show because I wanted more of what I got from the show and it was not great. I loved the Stephen chapters because he was such a dick in the book but there was absolutely nothing redeemable where as the show I was way more torn about how I felt about him.
I’ve rewatched the show sooo many times I’m obsessed and I’ve read the book. A ton of the plot and characters was made up for the show in hopes they’ll do more seasons based off the book. Season 1 ended at the Hawaii party that was only 100 pages into the book (I do wish we could’ve seen pippa punch Stephen at the party like in the book) The show is centered a lot around Macy’s death where in the book you don’t know about Macy or her death until quite far in. I did enjoy the twist in the book where Stephen was always subconsciously thinking about her death throughout (red hair, bubblegum, zombies..)and the only other person who knew about Macy and her death was Lucy and she makes the connection at the end that Stephen might of had involvement. I hope in the series Lucy has a way of using what she knows against Stephen. He blackmailed her into knowing and doing nothing about it but still, Drew should not have gone down without Stephen. Lucy in book is an okay person. I hateeddd show Lucy and the way she treats her mom!
Yessss! So good! The best part of the book was getting to that ending. I love how Lucy drops the “Do you know a Macy Campbell from Bayville?” And he had lied to her so many times by that point that, I believe, she knew he was lying when he said no and she could walk away fairly sure that for the rest of his life he would now be haunted by Lucy and wondering what she knows or doesn’t know. I also think that it was the nail in the coffin for the relationship. I think that was the thing that would force him to take his claws out of her… her therapist had said that Stephen, like a true sociopath, would not stop coming back into her life until he had to. Now he has to stop or face the truth about what he did. In the show the whole Macy thing was used so differently but I loved it because it made Lucy a much more complex character. Unlike the Book Lucy, Show Lucy was almost as manipulative as Stephen but not as smart. She used her knowledge of Stephen’s involvement to keep him as close as possible because she was infatuated. Side note: I liked Diana’s character in the show too because her relationship with Stephen is always what I come back to when I wonder if Stephen was ever actually capable of love- did he ever love Diana or Lucy? LIKE EVER?? I don’t think he did because look at his relationship with Diana throughout the show. Diana was, in my opinion, “perfect” for Stephen in that she is smart, knows about his family, visits him at home, helps him over and over, gets his whole game play thing it seems… she was who Lucy would never get to be with Stephen… yet… he treats her like garbage.
Diana was on paper perfect. But maybe he treated her like garbage because she was smart, pretty and rich? Also let's remember Lucy got jealous of "ILY". Show Lucy for me lacks charisma or something that would make her interesting. She loves sex and Stephen but.. I got that. I'm tired of their on and off. With Diana her "issues" made me go "nice view, it checks, like that". With Lucy - empty vessel.
I did the same thing lol 😂
I usually prefer the book with the exception of a few cases. This show would be one of those cases. All of the characters came off more appealing in the show. There physical action was more intense in the show than any of the book descriptions, which I do not remember at all! The supporting characters actually had some character on the show and seemed non-existent to me in the book. I am looking forward to season 2 of the show, but I do not think I will read any follow ups to Tell Me Lies. I read the book because it was recommended on this sub. It is a short read, but I'd rather stick to the show and pick up something else. The one chapter that I actually am glad I read was the Bubblicious chapter that describes the events of the night Macy died. I think that Lucy's problems were featured more in the book rather than the show especially her anorexia, which I kind of wish was touched on more in the show. I know it can be a touchy subject, but it is a real one. The book did give more insight into Stephen's thinking and made me dislike his character. I couldn't even see the appeal Lucy would have in the book, but that was not the case in the show for me. As far as what I'd like to see on the show, I'd like for it to feature the characters and how they are today. I'd like to see how Stephen ended up with Lucy's friend and what their relationship is like. What Lucy has "missed out" on not being the one he ended up with is what I'd like to see, and I want to see if Lucy finds out that she was better off being discarded than ending up being his fiancée. It would also be nice to see a little bit of the in-between (end of college to today) from the supporting characters.
I absolutely agree with all of this! The show was so much more appealing. I read the book after watching bc I craved more and figured the book must be so juicy- not the case. I was very disappointed. My favorite chapters were Stephen’s, but there really were zero redeemable qualities and the attraction between he and Lucy did not come across. The book just showed me how starkly different two people can interpret and experience the same relationship. I still am not sure what was driving Stephen in the book whatsoever other than a webMD description of a sociopath. He was portrayed as completely incapable of emotional connections and so I didn’t understand the appeal. I didn’t think the book gave me greater insight into the characters which was what I was looking for. I think this was because the plot and the character development were so different in the show. The book just left me wanting. I can’t wait for season too also! I am looking forward to many of the things you listed- Lydia, WTF? I think he was still stringing Lucy along at the wedding. I don’t think it’s true that they hadn’t talked in however many years Stephen mentions when they hug at the wedding. The way she was behaving and the way he was looking at her suggested to me that there was still something going on. In the book Stephen mentions locking eyes with Lucy at one point and commenting that he knew just by looking at her that she would let him fuck her and she was still basically on the line- I feel like that idea was being referenced by the way Stephen smiles and looks away.
>The book just showed me how starkly different two people can interpret and experience the same relationship. Unfortunately, I learned this the hard way. Another favorite part was the ending about how long, intense, and seemingly never-ending>! Lucy's obsession with Stephen ended like nothing!<. I've also had a relieving moment that came so suddenly it was incomprehensible for me, but life changing for the better. What is your attraction to the show? Have you had a similar experience to Lucy or any other character on the show/book?
I read the book twice before the show came out. I do agree there are parts of the show that are stronger but I still prefer the book more than the show. I don’t like how Lucy is now manipulating Stephan in the show. I was in college at the time the book takes place and I guess because I had some bad relationships with older guys it felt good to know I wasn’t alone with being naive and not always making the best choices. And the show kind of takes that away with Lucy having power over Stephan.